Journey to the New World
by thenumber8xD
Summary: Continuation of the story starting from the crew's reunion: The strawhat crew is reuniting at Sabaody Archipelago after a long 2 years, stronger than ever and hungry for adventure!
1. Prologue: Here we go

Author's note: This was **started** the day the 'OMG-ACE-NOOOOOO!' chapter came out. I have no idea what's going to happen or how the reunion is going to be. So I'm just skipping to an unknown dimension where this is most likely NOT going to happen. Alright, so on with the story.

More notes: So here I am, after the manga time skip, and I'm crying tears of blood because I don't want to have to rewrite the story. I'll edit it, but I won't change the plotline. As for original character descriptions, just use the manga for reference. I'll describes OC's to the best of my abilities.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, I wish I did. But it's safer in Oda-sensei's hands.

Luffy fidgeted impatiently as he sat cross-legged on the figurehead of the Kuja Pirates' ship. The teenager donned a goofy grin when he saw the Sunny-gou come into view. The flower-like figurehead of the familiar ship seemed to smile back at him.

"Sunny!~" he screamed as his face broke out into a familiar and juvenile smile, unchanged by the years. He had missed the ship so much in the time that he and his crew had been separated. At the time of their separation, he despised bear-guy's actions, but most of all, he hated his own weakness and inability to protect his fellow nakama. After much thought, however, he realized it was for the best of the crew. The light admiral would've caught them good if Kuma hadn't sent them flying.

Luffy himself had been sent to an island where haki was the primary weapon. There, his latent ability was able to grow beyond anything he could've imagined! After his analysis of his own point of destination, he could only guess that bear-guy sent them all to separate islands to increase their fighting potential to prepare them for the challenge that they would meet in the New World.

He sent a rubber arm flying towards the figurehead and propelled the rest of his elastic body towards it. As he landed on the bow, he noticed that it was a lot glossier than it had been when he had last seen it. The glazed, wooden boards of the shipped were covered with a thick and jelly-like substance. Dismissing the odd state the Sunny was in, he grinned as he took in its familiarity and hope of the crew's reunion swelled within him.

Note: Just the prologue, hope you'll keep reading! RxR


	2. Chapter 1: Back with the crew

Luffy waved towards his ride, beckoning them onto land.

"Come on Hancock! I want to show you our ship!" He called out to the gorgeous woman on the deck of the much larger ship pulled by two serpentine creatures.

The grown woman blushed in a child-like manner and thought to herself, "_He called me Hancock!_" She responded by commanding the female pirates behind her to hurry up so that she may be united with her beloved. Being her inferiors, they followed her command without question. As the ship hit land, the anchor was dropped and Hancock stepped down from the boat. Her demeanor was that of an empress, regal and stoic, as she walked along the neck of one of her snake-like beasts; however, as soon as her eyes lay on the eager and energetic boy, it changed into the appearance of a young and in love schoolgirl.

Luffy immediately grasped her hands and led her onto the ship. Literally dragging her around, he took her to the rooms one by one, giving her a grand tour. She never stopped blushing at the physical contact and several times she had nearly fainted. All of a sudden, as they were exploring the aquarium and fancy diner, the door swung open and Rayleigh stepped in.

"Old man!" called Luffy.

"Luffy! I've been waiting for you. Have you seen the coating?"

"You mean the jelly all over the ship?"

Rayleigh nodded.

"Yeah! That's gonna protect us from the mystery underwater force, right?" Rayleigh chuckled at Luffy's enthusiastic response and nodded again.

Hancock reluctantly edged away and left to attend to her crewmates, who were waiting outside the ship.

Luffy started talking first, "Have any of my crew members arrived yet?"

When Rayleigh heard this, he smiled and said, "yes, if fact, they have all arrived looking stronger than ever!"

For a moment, Luffy was stunned, his jaw dropped open. "THEY'RE HERE?" Tears started collecting in his eyes. "I want to see them SOOOOO much!" He started waving his arms around in wild, frantic circles, his eagerness visible in his eyes.

Rayleigh laughed and said, "I'm sure they want see you as much as you do them."

As they exited the ship, Luffy asked that Hancock come with them. "I owe her lot", he said, "She taught me a lot of things, and I really want to introduce her to my crew. I bet they'll really like her! Kishishishi!" He ended the phrase with his trademark laugh.

On the way to grove 13, Luffy gave a small summarization of his crew members to Hancock. Hancock, upon hearing about Robin and Nami, immediately felt threatened. "_He has girls on his crew?"_

As they got closer to the bar, Luffy began to get increasingly giddy. At the mere sight of the Rip-Off bar, he flung himself towards the quaint building and swung the door open. His crew, although each member seemed to have undergone a slight change in appearance, was spread on the couch and floor eating, drinking, and chatting with one another. As they looked up to see their captain, jaws dropped and tears fell.

"LUFFY!" They all screamed with exuberance. They stumbled to their feet to greet him.

"WE MISSED YOU SOO MUCH!" shouted Usopp and Chopper.

"LUFFY!" cried Camie and Papagg, still grateful for his role in the human auction.

"Nyuu~ It's be a long time, mugiwara no luffy!" Hachi smiled and rubbed the back of his head shyly with one of his free arms. He was still mildly embarrassed about the situation two years ago.

"Where were you, Luffy?" Nami exclaimed, slapping his arm playfully.

Zoro grinned, "Welcome back, captain"

"YOHOHOHOHO, what a fine day indeed!" laughed Brooke.

Robin simply smiled at the waterworks, shouting, and presence of her captain.

Franky poised himself in his signature pose and yelled, "SUPAHHHH, this is such a SUPAH week!"

Sanji grabbed some plates, "I'll make a huge feast for all of us!" He scrambled to the kitchen to prepare something worthy of the crew's reunion.

That's when their eyes shifted to the beautiful woman standing at the doorway, shocked by the crowd's exclamations.

Usopp, and Chopper nervously edged towards Luffy and whispered, "Luffy, who is she?" Chopper attempted to hide behind Luffy's leg.

Nami's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Zoro yawned in his normal nonchalant if-an-enemy-is-here-I'll-just-butcher-them attitude; nonetheless, his hand crept cautiously towards the hilt of Wadou.

Robin couldn't help but think that the stranger seemed extremely familiar. She leaned forward as she searched her memories for the newcomer's face.

Brooke's eyes popped out as he gawked at the beautiful woman, although, being a skeleton, he didn't have eyes to begin with. Sanji, oblivious of the tense atmosphere, started twirling around Hancock yelling, "MELLORINE MELLORINE MELLORINE!"

Luffy laughed, "Don't worry guys! She's my friend. She helped me a lot while I was away!" He paused, trying to remember something. "Oh yeah, she's one of those Shichibukai warlord!"

"WHAT?"

Zoro and Usopp looked at her suspiciously. Chopper started thrashing her arms in an attempt to fend off the possible threat. Franky pulled off his sunglasses to give Hancock a stare.

Sanji, well, he tackled Luffy immediately, pinning him to the floor with his arms as he shouted indiscernible words. After a long jumbled mess of angry sounds, he managed to spew out something coherent, "WERE YOU REALLY TRAINING?"

Luffy laughed at his response and replied with a simple, "The whole time!"

Hancock was tempted to send the furious blonde flying with a kick, but held back when she heard Luffy laugh. She eyed the two girls, who she assumed to be 'Robin' and 'Nami'. One of them was merely staring in her direction, the other hiding behind a bulky looking man… in panties? They were attractive, but Hancock's self-confidence informed her that their looks were no match for her perfection. Hancock glanced at the mermaid. "_She's c__ute, but unrefined…"_

Luffy yelled, snapping Hancock out of her thoughts, "Anyways, let's throw a party!"

"YEAH!" The room erupted into an explosion of felicity and festivity.

The crew ate enough to feed the entire third world population. Sanji provided the crew with his best work yet. The Flying-Fish Raiders, or Rosy Raiders, or whatever they decided to go by and Hancock's whole crew were invited. There was a lot of dancing and singing and just plain partying.

The crew shared stories of the last two years of separation. Luffy couldn't wait to see his much-loved crew in action! During the jovial night, Hancock became quite fascinated by Nami and Robin, and they, in turn, accepted as a friend. As they shared stories of their past adventures, Hancock was intrigued by their characters.

The night was endless. Luffy declared 'kanpai!' more than a dozen times, his stomach bloated with Sanji's marvelous cooking. The Kuja Pirates warmed up to the men around them; they especially interested in Chopper, Franky, and Brooke. After two long years of training and hard work, the crew was finally back together and thirsty for new adventures!

Notes: Hope you guys are enjoying the story!


	3. Chapter 2: Introducing Eva

Notes: Time for the introduction of an OC (:

The next day, Luffy and the crew (plus Camie, Hachi, and Papagg) were ready to further explore the island. The last time they had tried to get around the island, the journey had ended in disaster. This time would be different; the whole crew was infinitely stronger than they had been. Hancock decided to stay behind with the Kuja crew to stock up on supplies and fix the ship from the long journey to Shabondy Archipelago.

Luffy and the others immediately head to the amusement park (majority vote won by far). The crew rented bon chari and left for the park. The journey there was an interesting one. The civilians and pirates that occupied the streets stared at them, shock written on their faces and the tension in the air was almost palpable. Most of them edged away from the crew, but all of them were intimidated by the captain's infamy. Robin scanned the crowd, wary of marines and bounty hunters. She could already hear the plethora of rumors to be spread about the infamous Straw Hat Crew and its reappearance. It was hard to blame the onlookers, really; it'd been two years since the crew was last seen together. It was believed that the group members were dead or sentenced to death. The surprise of seeing the group healthy and stronger than ever frightened pirates and civilians alike.

The crew was attacked by large groups of bounty hunters, all hoping to get their greedy hands on the enormous bounty, but they were defeated in an instant; Luffy didn't even get a chance to witness half the potential his crew had gained over the time they had been separated. In fact, he barely saw a glimpse of the fight. He had stopped to pick out a nasty booger before fighting, but once he was done flicking the ball of mucus at Zoro, the fight had already ended.

Nevertheless, the crew had a fun-filled day. Camie and Hachi were originally cautious of the events around them due to past circumstances, but gradually they opened up and learned to enjoy the park without too much worry. The crew ate candy floss, ice cream, candy, and other goods the amusement park had to offer. After a brave worker had called the marine headquarters, the crew was forced to evacuate the park. As they leapt through the roofs of buildings near marine infested streets, a commotion attracted their attention. Nami seemed to have noticed first, her sixth sense warning her that a large amount of money was nearby.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Slave drivers and armored guards yelled at a running girl with a slave collar and a small cloth bag tied to her waist. Their fists shook at the girl and the raised their weapons about their heads. The girl paid no attention to her pursuers. As soon as he caught a glimpse of her curvaceous body, Sanji's eyes pulsed into hearts; "MELLORINE," he shouted.

"Make me!" The pink-haired girl turned around and stuck her tongue out. Laughing in a very carefree manner despite the situation she was in, she pulled a glimmering pin out of her hair. Almost immediately the pin grew to a small dagger, then a lance, then a spear, and finally a halberd. She turned around to face the men who were pursuing her. Her feet skid against the ground, throwing up dust and dirt. Her face was determined and a smirk was plastered on her well-defined face.

Luffy and Chopper, who were watching curiously, shouted loudly, "AWESOMEEE!" Hachi wondered to himself why she seemed so familiar as he carried Camie and Papagg on his back.

As the fight ensued, the girl displayed amazing fighting abilities. She lashed out at the men. None of her pursuers were even half as good as she was. She brought the halberd down on the armored bodies of the guards, smashing them into bits of steel and iron. Her legs flew in a flurry of color as they crashed into the men's faces. Soon the guards were lying on the ground unconscious but alive. They muttered indecipherable words in their dazed state.

She reverted the halberd to a pin. As she poked the collar around her neck with the pin, there was audible beeping.

"STOP!" Nami shouted in a concerned voice, "that's an exploding collar!"

By now, Sanji's face oddly resembled the face in Edvard Munch's _The Scream. _The girl shot the crew a confused look, but averted her attention back at the beeping collar. She took the pin and jammed it into the beeping device. The next thing they knew, an explosion went off in a building next to the girl. Smoke clogged the air and a couple of picaresque rogues rushed out of the burning building. Anger and desire for retribution possessed them to attack the girl, who emerged from the smoke relatively unscathed. She dealt with them quickly and efficiently, throwing only a few blows before she had them laying at her feet. Clapping her hands together, she let out a sigh of relief and smiled at her work. She gestured for the Strawhat crew to come down from the roofs.

Sanji immediately grasped the girl's hands, "Madame, that was a splendid show!"

She laughed awkwardly before Luffy gripped her shoulders, "THAT WAS AMAZING! JOIN MY CREW!"

"EH? CREW?" the girl shouted while the crew members sighed at their captain's antics.

Brooke laughed his usual 'Yohoho!" before bending down to whisper a question to Franky, "Does he do this to every recruit?"

Franky grumbled and nodded.

Papagg crawled down from Hachi's back and jumped to the floor, landing with a satisfying 'squish'. His face lit up when he recognized the girl, "Princess Eva, what are you doing on land?"

"EH?" the rest of the crew shouted. "PRINCESS?"

Notes: Say hello to Eva everyone! :D


	4. Chapter 3: Questions and Concerns

**Notes: There's some slight Hancock x Luffy in this chapter. If that kind of stuff makes you vomit violently, just skip it -.-**

The girl giggled at the crew's reaction as if she was used to it.

"I should probably introduce myself," she brushed her shirt with her hands, trying to get off all the rubble that covered her during the explosion, and straightened herself, "I'm Blue Eva, and I'm the princess of Fishman Island! What about you guys?" She gestured towards the group with her right hand.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! And thi-" Luffy began.

"Monkey D. Luffy? As in Strawhat Luffy the pirate?" Eva cautiously stepped back in fear as if she had just been told that Luffy was some sort of diseased animal. In her eyes, the crew could see resentment and a slight tinge of fear.

"In the flesh! Can't you see his straw hat?" Usopp patted Luffy's head for further emphasis. He continued, "And, surely, you've heard of me, the **great** Captaaaaain… Usopp!" He struck a heroic pose. Everyone but Chopper who looked at him with admiration and fascination, tuned him out.

"Oh, now that you say it…" Eva tilted her head and stiffened, "I'm not gonna let my guard down just because you think that my halberd is cool…" she paused and flashed a silly smile, "but it is pretty cool isn't it? (At this, the crew sweat-dropped) ANYWAYS, let me get this straight, I'm not going to join some sick pirate crew even if you were to dunk me in boiling water and eat me!"

Luffy scowled, "Ewww… You don't look very tasty." Sanji silenced him with a strong kick to the head.

Eva continued, ignoring Luffy's comment, "Pirates are disgusting creatures. All they know how to do is to steal the joy of people!" She flipped the crew off, turned around, and ran off.

"Wait! Join my crew!" Luffy shouted at her. He started running after her, but Hachi held him back with two arms.

"I don't want to join your goddamn crew! I'm not like you savages!" She yelled as she continued running. Her figure disappeared into the crowd of people surrounding the burning building.

"Hehe," Luffy laughed while the rest of the crew looked at him strangely, "I think we've just found our new nakama." Nami sighed out loud and rubbed her temples; this girl was an eerily similar version of herself before she met the Strawhat crew.

The crew relocated themselves onto the roofs of the buildings, careful to stay away from the marines that showed up on the scene, questioning the circumstances surrounding the burning building.

Papagg looked at the crew sadly, "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

Franky laughed, "Nah, it's all super! We're used to it.

Zoro thrust his thumb towards the direction Eva ran, "She seemed really upset about us being pirates. Did something happen to her?"

At this, Nami swat the pack of his head, "OF COURSE something happened! Geez.." She huffed angrily, which caused Robin to chuckle at the scene.

Camie looked down, "Well, when she was little, pirates were constantly coming in through Fishman Island, in order to get to the New World. Back then the fishmen and merfolk were protected from the pirates by Whitebeard's claim of the island; no one dared to touch the island and its inhabitants, well, until a certain group of pirates came by. Eva, as a small and innocent child, befriended the son of the captain. The crew was accepted by the kingdom, and Eva and the boy constantly played together. They promised to get married and it was a really pure friendship." She began to fidget uncomfortably.

Papagg, noticing her discomfort, continued where she left off, "A couple months later, the pirates betrayed the kingdom by plundering the islan. They stole large amounts of gold and other precious objects. Before leaving Fishman Island, they attacked the castle, where the king and queen lived. The king was killed and the queen severely injured. Poor little Eva was traumatized by the event. The pirates left, leaving the island in shambles and vulnerable to further attacks, until Whitebeard came and settled the matter himself. He exacted revenge on that horrible pirate crew." He sighed. "Eva never associated with pirates after that."

Luffy remained silent as he heard the story. He pulled his straw hat down to cover his eyes. Chopper sniffed back tears and the rest of the crew frowned at the history of the girl they'd just met.

Robin broke the disturbing silence, "But wouldn't the princess of Fishman Island be a mermaid or fishman? She looked like a perfectly normal human girl to me."

Camie laughed, "Eva is a dragon mermaid, so her legs split when she was only ten!

Luffy and Chopper had stars in their eyes, "A DRAGON MERMAID!"

"So what was she doing on an island swarming with pirates? I thought she hated pirate." Zoro asked.

Hachi answered, "Probably doing the usual: stealing large amounts of money from slave owners, freeing slaves of all kinds, and ruining the businesses of slave companies. She angered a lot of wealthy folks around here, so apparently she got herself her own bounty. Nyu~ how much was it again?"

Nami looked shocked, "M-money? I knew that cloth bag was filled with gold coins!" The crew looked at her oddly.

Papagg popped into the conversation while Hachi was trying to recall Eva's bounty. "I remember that she used to bring stolen money back from the surface world all the time, until she was supposedly forbidden from it after she was caught by bounty hunters when she was 13. A couple years ago, I heard some gossip about how she started trekking to the surface world again."

While Papagg and Hachi discussed the strange situation among themselves, Camie was explaining the different types of mermaids to Sanji and Brookes, who were bursting with excitement and anticipation. Luffy was bouncing around, trying to track down the girl he had become so interested in recruiting.

"Damn those pirates!" Eva yelled angrily as she rested in the branches of a mangrove tree. She had noticed that there were a lot more marines swarming around that day than usual. Apparently they were looking for the pirates she had just run into.

Sighing, she rested her head on her arm. She looked down at the water through the corner of her eye and saw a school of colorful fish swimming in and out of the giant roots. Smiling, she observed them from afar. Eva had been interested in the study of marine life ever since she learned how to swim (which was at birth.) All her life, she aspired to join a crew, it didn't matter what kind, where she would be accepted and sail around the world studying marine life of all kinds. That was, until _his_ crew came. Her dream of being accepted by others was shattered by their arrival. She shuddered and gripped her shoulders to try and stop herself from shaking in fear. No matter how much time had passed, she could never forget the tortured shouts of her father as the captain mercilessly... '_Ughh, so much for time heals all wounds.'_

"HI!"

Eva shrieked at the sudden greeting that shook her from her thoughts. The pirate, who had become so well known through his impulsive deeds, was crouching on the branch in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" Eva pointed at him rudely.

"Kishishishi, you're our nakama now and nakama look after each other!" The rest of the crew is waiting down there." He looked down and waved at his hand energetically at his friends, who probably either ignored him or waved back.

"I said I DON'T WANT TO JOIN YOUR CREW!" Eva yelled out as she forcefully pushed Luffy out of the gigantic tree. She harrumphed in an unlady-like fashion.

"Whoa-toh!" Luffy stretched out a rubber arm onto the tree branch and with a snap, he was able to locate himself safely on the tree.

"What was that?" Eva freaked out and edged away from the rubbery teen, "what kind of monster are you?"

Luffy explained with a laugh, "I'm a rubber man; I ate the gomu gomu no mi!"

Eva glared at him, "I bet you stole that too, just like the degenerate pirates out there who do nothing but ruin the dreams of others!"

Luffy tilted his head innocently to the side, "I didn't steal it! I don't ruin other people's dreams either, well… unless they hurt my friends. Then I HAVE to kick their ass!" He punched his rightfist into the palm of his left hand and grinned.

Eva felt a surge of interest and longing swell in her chest, but quickly subdued it by folding her arms and retorting, "You're lying… Pirates are all the same! Anyways, leave me alone, I don't want to join your pirate crew!"

Luffy smiled (getting on Eva's nerves), "Maybe you'll want to join some other day! I'll ask you tomorrow then!" And he jumped off the branch before Eva could tell him that she didn't want to join Luffy's crew ever in her life.

Luffy was visibly skipping as he walked with the crew to the Sunny. They were slightly unnerved at Eva's past, but they were excited at the idea of getting a new nakama. After all, every time Luffy insists on someone joining the crew, nine out of ten chance they were going to end up joining the crew. It was a strange and unusual process, but Luffy seemed to have a way with actions (and, occasionally, with words).

When they reached the rip-off bar, Luffy ran off to send off Hancock and her crew. After all, he owed her so much for her help, but little did he know, just by being next to her, he was already paying her back.

Hancock, at first, was reluctant to leave Luffy, but after realizing that her Shichibukai status, the only thing protecting her home island, was already under careful surveillance because of her actions at Marineford, she became more willing to return home.

"Bye Hancock!" Luffy said as her ship prepared to leave the island. He could see the other Kuja pirates struggling to pull up the heavy anchors. Hancock stood at the bow, looking down at Luffy.

**(A/N: If you don't like even the slightest bit of Hancock x Luffy, you can skip this next section. It might or might not be important.)**

"Farewell, Luffy. Stay safe… Umm… One day, when you become pirate king, will you… m-m-marry m-me?" Hancock blushed as she looked at the ground, twiddling her thumbs with embarrassment. She hadn't meant for those words to slip out of her mouth, but when they did, it was too late to take them back.

Luffy not really sure what she had said, gave her a thumbs-up sign and a childish grin. He still had a debt to pay, and if Hancock wanted something, Luffy owed it to her.

Hancock blushed profusely, and fell to her knees as Luffy turned around to greet Nami and Robin as they walked towards the ship.

**('Kay, the Hancock coast is clear!)**

"Hey! We wanted to send you off too," said Nami as Robin stood by smiling.

Hancock smiled at her newfound friends. She trusted them to keep watch of Luffy when she was gone. "Thanks," she replied. Her once cold heart was melting at the warmth and caring of the Strawhat crew.

As Hancock's ship left for a long journey at sea, Luffy and the two girls waved their good-byes.

"1000 beris that mermaid girl is going to join!" Franky slapped a bill onto the wooden table.

Papagg retaliated by pulling out a wad of bills (which he had gotten from Shakky to spread on tickets for the amusement park, "900 beris she **doesn't** join!"

Franky scowled, "Why only 900?"

Papagg continued, "No matter how nice you guys are, the princess of the fishman kingdom can't and won't leave! Didn't I already tell you? She HATES pirates!"

As Franky and Papagg argued in the background, Hachi grimly looked down. "It worries me that the hime-sama is wandering around on land even after she was prohibited from coming to the surface. I wasn't the slightest bit aware of this! I wonder if the royal family knows…"

Camie reassured him, "Don't worry Hachi, we're leaving for Fishman Island tomorrow, so we'll be able ask around for information real soon."

(_Brief background: Hachi and Camie returned to Fishman Island after the crew's separation and stayed there for some time. They haven't heard about Eva journeying to the surface because it's been a dirty little secret_.)

"Yeahh…" Hachi sighed as Brooke and Sanji danced in the background while singing "MER-MAID-DOH, MER-MAID-DOH" over and over.

The Strawhat crew thanked Rayleigh-san and Shakky-san for their help. As they packed their belongings onto Sunny, Rayleigh gave Luffy a piece of his vivrecard and told them that if they ever needed a place to stay, they could always come to the Rip-off Bar. Luffy accepted the piece of paper with appreciation.

The crew was emitting happiness as they prepared the ship to leave the grove. Luffy looked like he was going to explode with excitement; his anticipation was just about to drive his fellow peers crazy. Nami tried to remain calm so that she may give directions to everyone, but her captain's personality was really starting to wear at her patience. Soon, the anchor was lifted, by none other than Zoro, and the ship was set to leave. Waving their final farewells, the crew set out into the ocean.

"Stop here, guys!" shouted Nami. The ship nearly skid to a halt at the Red Line. The enormous mountain stood before them.

"This is exactly where we were two years ago!" Luffy started, "we're so much stronger than before! Kishishishi!"

"We sure are…" Zoro looked up at the mountain in a daze.

"Yeaa…" sighed Usopp. "…. Oh yeah, Franky! How are we going to get Sunny to go underwater?"

Franky let out a laugh, "The old man taught me when I was working on some repairments to the ship. We're gonna sink the ship!"

"Huh?" asked Chopper, "We have to sink Sunny?" He hugged the railing protectively.

"Yeah, don't worry, it's not going to harm the ship. We'll fill the bottom of the ship with water, so that the ship will start sinking," Franky explained as he traced a diagram in the air with his finger.

"Ah, I see" Nami said while clapping her fist into her hand.

"I already have a pipe and everything ready to pump water into the Sunny's bottom floors. We should be able to fill the floors in no time."

"What an interesting way of sinking the ship." Robin said.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started!" shouted Luffy.

**Notes: I didn't have a lot of time to look over this chapter. Hope you're warming up to Eva :D**

**RxR please!**


	5. Chapter 4: Under the Sea

**Notes: I know you guys know how to read and write. Please write reviews, you're breaking my heart ):**

Soon, the pipe Franky built had pumped gallons and gallons of sea water into the ship. The Sunny was sinking under the ocean fast. Franky instructed the crew to clear the deck and get inside. Rayleigh had coated the deck, but if anybody was standing outside the protection of the jelly coating, they'd be killed by the water pressure and lack of oxygen. Camie, Papagg, and Hachi were already in the water, waiting for the Sunny to submerge.

The shipwright explained the method they were going to take to reach Fishman Island. "It's called the _Sumerja _method. Since we're already above the entrance to Fishman Island, it'd be easier to just sink the 10,000 meters. We'll be submerging along the side of the Red Line and ente-" He was cut off by Luffy's excited yell.

"YAHOO!" shouted the excited Luffy. He pressed his face against the windows of the ship and observed the scene through the glass. The ship was now fully underwater; bubbles rose to the surface of the water quickly and the surprised fish darted in and out of the rising foam. Franky realized everyone was too interested in the ocean scene to listen to his explanation and sulked off into a gloomy corner of the ship, drawing circles on the wooden floorboards.

"UWOOHHHH~!" Luffy marveled the beautiful scenery before him. Underneath the water was an ecosystem of beautiful corals and colorful fish. The marine life gently swayed to the steady rhythm of the waves and the glamorous, scintillating scales of the fish reflected the sun rays that penetrated the ocean surface. The light cast a fascinating rainbow of bright, vivid colors.

"This is so exciting!" shouted Chopper, who was also pressing his face against a window.

"I WANNA SEE TOO!" Usopp shouted as he wrestled Chopper for a view of the ocean.

"Nami-san, Robin-chan, your parfaits are served." Sanji bowed before the two girls and gave them a beautifully made cup of cream and fresh fruit.

The girls thanked him and carefully ate a spoonful of frosty cream.

"This is delicious!" Nami said as she wiped the cream off her face, "it's about time to make contact with Camie-chan and them. They're going to have to lead us to Fishman Island"

Sanji was dancing around Robin, asking, "Is it good? Is it good?"

"Yes, cook-san, it's delicious!"

"MY LIFE IS COMPLETE! MELLORINE! MELLORINE! 3"

Nami pushed Luffy out of the way to the window, causing him to whine, "NAMI~~~! I wanna see too~!" The image outside the window was beginning to change into a darker and drearier sight. The water was thick and murky, the darkness hiding lurking creatures and casting the adventurers into an endless abysmal quest.

Nami ignored Luffy's complaining and looked through the dark ocean for a sign of her friends. In the dark ocean, she managed to spot Camie mouthing "Nami-chin" to her and gestured in a direction that the log post also pointed at.

"Hey Franky!

Franky looked up from his momentary sulking and depression. "What is it, girlie?"

"Don't call me girlie!" Nami frowned, "How do we steer this thing?"

Sanji pointed at Franky, "YEAH! Don't call her a girl! Nami-san already has the breast size of a full-grown woma-" He was interrupted by a fist. "Ah, the fist of love…" He melted into a puddle of helplessness and stupidity.

"Shut up for a second!" Nami said between clenched teeth.

"Well, that was weird. I already talked to the fishman about pulling us along the ocean floor." Franky continued.

"Huh? Fishman? You mean Hachi's going to pulling the ship?"

"Yea, he offered to." Franky said nonchalantly. "It's not too much; the boat's going down by itself. It just needs the once-in-a-while push and pull to stay on course."

"I see…" Nami said. A wave of concern swept through her. Pulling a large boat with passengers aboard seemed a bit strenuous. But Hachi was a fishman; one, in fact, that could lift an entire building with a single arm if he had to. Dragging the Sunny wasn't an easy feat, but it certainly wasn't impossible. _Especially for someone like…_ Nami turned and looked at her captain with a very exasperated expression on her face.

"UWUOHHHH!" Luffy yelled, "LOOK AT THAT OCTOPUS. HE LOOKING AT US ALL FUNNY!"

An octopus was, indeed, looking at the boat funny. Circling the boat, he uncoiled his thick, massive tentacles and encircled the ship with them. Its enormous eye glared at the measly pirates in the ship.

"AHHHH!" screamed Chopper, "IT'S GONNA EAT USSS~!"

"NO WAY~!" yelled Brooke, "IT'S GONNA EAT ME, BONES AND ALL! Ah! I only haves bones, Yohohoho!"

Usopp slapped the back of the skeleton's afro in a comedic fashion, "How can you make jokes at a time like this?"

Zoro unsheathed a sword although he knew that he couldn't do much while he was stuck inside Sunny, but at the very least, he could look threatening at the marine animal.

Losing his foolish act, Luffy shouted angrily at the octopus, "OI, SQUID! ARE YOU PICKING A FIGHT WITH US? I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!" He put up a threatening fist at the octopus.

All of a sudden, a mysterious figure knocked the gigantic octopus unconscious. Another eight-armed creature shot a thumbs-up at the crew.

"It's Hachi!" Luffy screamed and flashed a grin at their friend.

"Thank god!" Nami sighed.

"Octopus-san sure has good timing." Robin chuckled. "I thought we were doing to get eaten and digested into little bits and pieces."

Chopper gasped, "NOOOOOO!"

Nami yelped and covered her ears, "Robin! Don't put it like that!"

Sanji immediately appeared at her side and knelt next to Nami, "Fear not, mademoiselle! I will protect you with my life! Oh, the power of love!" He swooned dramatically.

Usopp sweatdropped, "When did you become such a drama queen?"

For what seemed like forever, Hachi pulled the massive boat through the dark and gloomy waters. Chopper and Usopp shrieked multiple time when they caught sight of the eye of a colossal creature gleaming at them or a set of large, sharp teeth bared at them. Zoro slumped in his chair and slept dreamlessly. Brooke played a soft ballad for the other crewmembers. Nami left to go take a warm bath (she had to convince Sanji that Robin'-chan' needed protecting so that he would not follow her into the bathroom.) Franky went to check up on the ship's condition after the octopus attack.

Suddenly, Luffy yelled.

"Is that it?" Luffy asked. He pointed at a large, dark cave in the side of the Red Wall.

Nami rubbed her wet hair with the damp towel and smiled, "The log post IS pointing at it."

"IT'S FISHMAN ISLAND! WE'RE FINALLY THERE!" the crew (minus Zoro and Robin) shouted gleefully.

"Fishman Island! Fishman Island! Fishman Island! Fishman Island! Fishman Island! Fishman ISSSLAANNNNDDDDD~~!" sang Luffy, Chopper, Usopp, Sanji, and Brooke. As they yelled, they danced a little jig across the lawn of the ship.

Zoro scowled, "Those idiots…" Robin smiled at his expression, but Sanji managed to hear the swordsman's contemptuous comment.

"Eh? What was that?" His swirly eyebrow was furrowed, giving the blonde a rather upset appearance.

"I said you were an idiot, love-cook." Zoro retorted with an equally furious look.

The two pirates glared down on each other, their opposing aura flared like a campfire and the tension created by their little scuffle was unbearable. Usopp tried to calm the two down and pull them away before they ripped each other's throats.

Hachi pulled the heavy boat through the hole-like cave. The ship shook and creaked as it hit a hard surface. Franky looked through the window; the ship was in a small cove underneath the Red Line, but the extra water was causing the boat to sink to the bottom of the water.

"We better start taking out the sea water!" Franky shouted. He ambled to the pump's controller, messed with some of the mechanisms, and flipped a small blue switch. The crew could hear the large amount of rushing water hiss and gurgle as it exited the ship. The ship slowly regained its buoyancy and floated to the top of the water. The crew warily stepped out of the jelly coated room and ventured onto the lawn. As they stretched and looked around at their surroundings, they were shocked to find a mossy and rather bland cave. **(A/N: For those who need an image, think about the cave in 'Toriko' where they caught puffer fish whales.**) They stepped onto the sandy shore.

Luffy whined at the sight. "This is it? There's not much here."

Hachi rose to the surface of the water wheezing and huffing. He climbed to the shore and panted to regain his breath. Camie and Papagg followed him onto the sand.

After a minute or two, Hachi laughed, "No, this isn't the island. This is just one of the entrances to Fishman Island." He pointed at a small tunnel that led into the darkness with small and meager corral lamps lighting the way. "All we have to do is follow this path to get to the kingdom."

Ehhh~?" Luffy droned.

Chopper cautiously crept to the mouth of the cave when he noticed something extraordinary. Once his eyes fell upon the reason for the odd occurrence, he stumbled backwards, his eyes as wide at saucers, "there's glowing moss all over the walls!"

Usopp and Luffy rushed to join him in his fascination. "There really is something glowing on the walls!" Usopp brushed some off with his index finger, inquisitively examining the specimen.

On the other hand, Luffy managed to gather a large armful of the organism, his arms lighting up the dimly lit entrance. "Can I eat it?" He stuck out his tongue, preparing to lick the gleaming substance.

Sanji managed to react quickly enough to send Luffy flying deeper into the cave with a strong roundhouse kick. "NO, YOU IDIOT! Geez… that moron." He lit a cigarette and breathing deeply. Turning around, his eyes became enormous hearts, "NAMI-SWANNN, ROBIN-CHWANN, DID YOU SEE ME?"

Nami shrugged him off with a, "yes, yes, Sanji-san."

Robin smiled at the chef's antics and joined Usopp in examining the unfamiliar organism. She bent down and touched the glowing moss. "Ara, it's slimy."

Hachi sighed, "It's a good thing you stopped Luffy from eating it, that's a rare kind of moss that our founding fathers brought back from a foreign country in order to light up the island."

Franky raised his eyebrows, "hooo… interesting…"

Usopp wiped his finger on Zoro's shirt, causing the green-haired man to cringe. "So what's this stuff called?"

"It's called 'luminous lichen'." **(A/N: Cirque Du Freak reference :D )**

Zoro scowled, "Luminous lichen?" The foreign words produced a strange, obviously incorrect pronunciation. Frowning, he attempted it again, only to have the words stumble off his tongue again. The rest of the crew members snickered at his pathetic efforts, but hid their laughter from the green-haired man. Snarling with impatience, he brought his sword to Hachi's throat, "Is this some kind of joke?" His face was furious.

Luffy cracked up, not even trying to hide his emotions.

"Nyu~ It's not _that_ hard to say!" Hachi defended himself.

Zoro sheathed his sword after catching himself, but not before grumbling about tongue twisters. Embarrassed, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to amble down the long, dark path to Fishman Kingdom, as the crew followed him.

Franky stopped, "Wait! What about the ship?"

Hachi replied, "Oh yeah!" He looked at the Sunny and thought for a bit. "No problem, I'll take it to a nearby boat dock and meet you at the entrance. Camie and Papagg will lead you through the cave." And he dove into the water and dragged the boat through an underwater tunnel that was completely enveloped in darkness.

Shrugging, the crew trekked into the dimly lit entrance to the island.

**Notes: I don't think luminous lichen is hard to say, but I just wanted to have some funzies. By the way, **_**sumerja**_** means submerge in Spanish, I think.**

**Next chapter: Fishman Island!**


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